It’s hard to believe that today (August 16) is Madonna’s 60th birthday. Since she burst onto the entertainment scene in the 1980s, she shocked us, shook us and made us sing and dance along, all while wearing outfits some thought best suited for the bedroom.

Meanwhile, in no particular order, here are some of her most outlandish, outstanding or thoroughly iconic moments over the past six decades.

Like a Virgin: For the video for Like a Virgin, Madonna was dressed in lace and rosary beads. (Check our ranking of Madonna’s 20 best videos!) She later showed up at the first MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City dressed all in white wearing a bustier and tulle skirt. Most noticeable though, was the somewhat enigmatic “boy toy” belt buckle, worn in the video with a smirk. Was she the boy toy, or did she consider boys to be her toys? We might never really know, but that outfit lives on in fashion history.

Desperately Seeking Susan: The touseled hair worn with giant bows, the bracelets, the ruby red lipstick, all of it was so iconically Madonna, it was hard to believe she lent some of it to the title character. The film embodied all that was fun about the ’80s, the mood, the music, the clothes…and Aidan Quinn as the love interest. Dear Hollywood powers that be: By all that is good and great, don’t ever even think of remaking this one.

Inspired by Marilyn: While Madonna drew inspiration from everyone from ’30s starlets to cartoon characters, she repeatedly paid homage to the late great Marilyn Monroe. From the candy pink strapless dress and boa in the “Material Girl” video to her later cropped bleached blonde hair and familiar poses, and full Marilyn get up at the 1991 Oscars after-party, Madonna seemed to repeatedly and intentionally channel Marilyn.

That cone bra: By the time the ’90s rolled around, Madonna had swapped out ’50s inspired lingerie-type underwear as outerwear in favor of full futuristic garb. For her Blonde Ambition tour in 1990, Madonna sported a cone bra worn over a leotard and designed by John Paul Gaultier.

Vogue: For the video that paid homage to a dance trend and lifestyle (Brad Falchuk‘s Pose has more on that era and the inspiration behind it), Madonna channeled full ’40s glam in hair and gems. Also, the dance moves inspired by dance moves further inspired dance moves…still with me?

Let’s talk about Sex: The fashion was fun, but Madonna seemed happiest pushing the envelope and then pushing it some more. In the early ’90s, she released a coffee table book with photographs taken by Steven Meisel Studio. The images were by turns dark, arty and confusing and a lot of people were incredibly shocked. The book sold over 150,000 copies and while it was panned to a degree then, it’s now considered more of a groundbreaking moment.

AMG/Parade Digital

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